In recent years, multicarrier modulation techniques have stirred great interest among engineers and researchers working in the field of telecommunications. Multicarrier systems are characterized by the fact that constellation symbols are modulated in parallel onto several distinct subcarriers. One specific form of multicarrier modulation, referred to as OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), has been deployed in many applications, such as in wireless LAN (local area network) routers, in high-definition television tuners, and in DSL (digital subscriber line) modems. Multicarrier and OFDM systems have proved to be much more robust against impairments such as impulse noise and sudden channel fadings than their single carrier counterparts. Moreover, channel equalization in OFDM systems can be performed at a very low computational cost by a set of per-subcarrier one-tap equalizers. / Despite their many advantages, OFDM systems have a few, but important, drawbacks. In particular, OFDM relies on the inverse FFT for modulation purposes, which leads to a very poor spectral containment and a high susceptibility to narrowband noise. To mitigate this problem, we propose in this thesis to perform multicarrier modulation using a perfect reconstruction (PR) DFT filter bank instead of employing the inverse FFT. The design of such filter banks is addressed using a novel method that guarantees the PR property to be satisfied while the spectral containment is being maximized. Equalization in the proposed DFT filter bank transceiver takes advantage of the fact that the filter banks do not contribute to any distortion due to its PR nature. Two equalization schemes are presented. The first one is based on a zero-padded block linear equalization approach, and the second one utilizes a one-tap per subcarrier configuration. The estimation of the channel coefficients in the proposed transceiver is also addressed. A blind estimation method that exploits the inherent cyclostationarity of the transmitted signal is derived. Computer experiments presented in this thesis indicate that the spectral containment of the proposed PR DFT filter bank transceiver is indeed superior to that of the OFDM system. Moreover, simulations conducted in a DSL-like environment contaminated by a narrowband noise show that the achievable bit rate of the proposed transceiver is much higher than that of a conventional OFDM system.

Diversity transmission is an effective technique to combat fading channels and this thesis introduces two main ideas. Firstly, a novel precoding technique is proposed to achieve diversity transmission and improve bit error rate (BER) performance over the existing linear constellation precoding (LCP) techniques. Experimental and theoretical results are presented to show that the proposed precoding schemes can outperform the existing LCP schemes in various fading channels and additive white Gaussian noise channels. Secondly, an interleaving technique to further improve the BER performance is proposed. The proposed diversity transmission techniques are implemented for both single-carrier and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The second part of the thesis focuses on the pairwise error probability analysis of the proposed and LCP schemes when receivers have imperfect channel state information (CSI). The BER performance of the proposed precoding and interleaver scheme are investigated in OFDM systems with minimum mean square error channel estimators and single-carrier systems with basis expansion model based channel estimators. It is demonstrated that while precoding schemes designed for receivers with perfect CSI yield near-optimum BER performance in the former system, the proposed phase-shift keying based precoding schemes perform well in the latter system. In both cases, the proposed precoding scheme, combined with the novel interleaving technique, outperforms the existing LCP schemes.

The thesis presents an implementation of a multiple input single output orthogonal frequency division multiplex (MISO OFDM) communication system testbed. The project was developed in order to evaluate whether the channel estimation algorithms developed by Dr Oyerinde [1] could be implemented in a real time communication system that uses today’s technology. This implementation based validation would help determine the practicality of algorithms and methods that promise better performance for communication systems from a simulation point of view. The benefits of using multiple orthogonal carriers are discussed as well as how an OFDM system works. The benefits of using multiple antennas at the transmitter, as opposed to using just one, are also discussed. The Alamouti scheme which allows space diversity to be achieved without the cost of having a lower data rate is presented. Modules common to all communication systems, such as those dedicated to synchronization, channel estimation, symbol detection and channel coding, are discussed. The different methods of synchronization for OFDM communication systems are presented and compared. The channel estimation algorithm developed by Dr Oyerinde is presented and is adopted for an indoor channel. Most of the system blocks and parameters used in the testbed are the same as those used in [1] in order to easily compare the results obtained by simulation and those obtained by implementation. The system bandwidth required for the project was too high for the processor chosen for the testbed. A qualitative evaluation of the practicality of Dr Oyerinde’s channel estimation algorithms was performed instead. From this evaluation it was derived that Dr Oyerinde’s non-iterative decision directed channel estimation algorithm was more suitable for real time non-iterative decision directed channel estimation communication systems than for iterative versions. Apart from processing demands that couldn’t be met, the other aspects of the project were implemented successfully. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Various multiuser schemes have been proposed to efficiently utilize the available bandwidth while ensuring an acceptable service delivery and flexibility. The multicarrier CDMA became an attractive solution to the major challenges confronting the wireless communication system. However, the scheme is plagued with multiple access interference (MAI), which causes conspicuous performance deterioration at the receiver. A low-complexity multiuser scheme called the Interleave Division Multiple Access (IDMA) was proposed recently as a capable solution to the drawback in the multicarrier CDMA scheme. A combined scheme of OFDM-IDMA was later introduced to enhance the performance of the earlier proposed IDMA scheme. The multicarrier IDMA scheme therefore combats inter-symbol interference (ISI) and MAI effectively over multipath with low complexity while ensuring a better cellular performance, high diversity order, and spectral efficiency. Major studies on the OFDM-IDMA scheme emphasis only on the implementation of the scheme in a perfect scenario, where there are no synchronization errors in the system. Like other multicarrier schemes, the OFDM-IDMA scheme however suffers from carrier frequency offset (CFO) errors, which is inherent in the OFDM technique. This research work therefore examines, and analyzes the effect of synchronization errors on the performance of the new OFDM-based hybrid scheme called the OFDM-IDMA. The design of the OFDM-IDMA system developed is such that the cyclic prefix duration of the OFDM component is longer than the maximum channel delay spread of the multipath channel model used. This effectively eliminates ISI as well as timing offsets in the system. Since much work has not been done hitherto to address the deteriorating effect of synchronization errors on the OFDM-IDMA system, this research work therefore focuses on the more challenging issue of carrier frequency synchronization at the uplink. A linear MMSE-based synchronization algorithm is proposed and implemented. The proposed algorithm is a non-data aided method that focuses on the mitigation of the ICI induced by the residual CFOs due to concurrent users in the multicarrier system. However, to obtain a better and improved system performance, the Kernel Least Mean Square (KLMS) algorithm and the normalized KLMS are proposed, implemented, and effectively adapted to combat the degrading influence of carrier frequency offset errors on the OFDM-IDMA scheme. The KLMS synchronization algorithm, which involves the execution of the conventional Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm in the kernel space, utilizes the modulated input signal in the implementation of the kernel function, thereby enhancing the efficacy of the algorithm and the overall output of the multicarrier system. The algorithms are applied in a Rayleigh fading multipath channel with varying mobile speed to verify their effectiveness and to clearly demonstrate their influence on the performance of the system in a practical scenario. Also, the implemented algorithms are compared to ascertain which of these algorithms offers a better and more efficient system performance. Computer simulations of the bit error performance of the algorithms are presented to verify their respective influence on the overall output of the multicarrier system. Simulation results of the algorithms in both slow fading and fast fading multipath scenarios are documented as well. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a multicarrier transmission technique which provides efficient bandwidth utilization and robustness against time dis¬persive channels. A major problem in the RF portion of a multicarrier transmitter is Gaussian-like time-domain signals with relatively high peak-to-average power ratios (PA¬PRs). These peaks can lead to saturation in the power amplifier (PA) which in turn distorts the signal and reduces the PA efficiency. To address this problem, numerous techniques have appeared in the literature based on signal and/or data modification. In the class of distortionless techniques, partial transmit sequences (PTS), selective mapping (SLM), and tone reservation (TR) have received a great deal of attention as they are proven techniques that achieve significant PAPR reduction. However, high compu¬tational complexity is a problem in practical systems. In PTS and SLM, this complexity arises from the computation of multiple inverse fast Fourier transforms (IFFTs), resulting in a complexity proportional to the number of PTS subblocks or SLM sequences. TR has also a high computational complexity related to the computation of the IFFT as it must search for the optimal subsets of reserved subcarriers and generate the peak reduction signal. In addition, most research in the direction of analyzing and improving the above techniques has employed direct computation of the inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT), which is not practical for implementation. This thesis focuses on the development and performance analysis of the major distortionless techniques in conjunction with the common IFFT algorithms to reduce the peak-to-power average (PAPR) of the original OFDM signal at the transmitter side. The structure of the IFFT common algorithms is used to propose a class of IFFT-based PAPR reduction techniques to reduce the computational complexity and improve PAPR performance. For IFFT based PTS, two techniques are proposed. A low complexity scheme based on decimation in frequency (DIF) and high radix IFFT algorithm is proposed. Then, a new PTS subblocking technique is proposed to improve PAPR performance. The periodic auto-correlation function (ACF) of time-domain IFFT-based PTS subblocks is derived. To improve the PAPR, we use error-correcting codes (ECCs) in the subblocking. Our approach significantly decreases the computational complexity while providing comparable PAPR reduction to ordinary PTS (O-PTS). With IFFT-based SLM, a technique for reducing computational complexity is proposed. This technique is based on multiplying the phase sequences with a subset of the inputs to identical inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFTs). These subsets generate the partial SLM sequences using repetition codes. It is also shown how the partial time-domain sub-sets can be combined to generate new SLM sequences. These sequences do not requires any IFFT operations. The proposed scheme outperforms the existing techniques while pro¬viding comparable PAPR reduction to original SLM (O-SLM). Finally, a gradient-based algorithm is proposed for IFFT-based TR. Unlike previous work, non-static channels are considered where the peak reduction tones (PRTs) locations and consequently the peak reduction kernels should be adjusted dynamically for best per¬formance. Two low complexity algorithms with different degrees of computational com¬plexity and PAPR performance are proposed. To generate the peak reduction kernels, the transform matrices of identical IFFTs are used. This provides low complexity solutions to determining the PRTs and computing the peak reduction kernels.

Diversity transmission is an effective technique to combat fading channels and this thesis introduces two main ideas. Firstly, a novel precoding technique is proposed to achieve diversity transmission and improve bit error rate (BER) performance over the existing linear constellation precoding (LCP) techniques. Experimental and theoretical results are presented to show that the proposed precoding schemes can outperform the existing LCP schemes in various fading channels and additive white Gaussian noise channels. Secondly, an interleaving technique to further improve the BER performance is proposed. The proposed diversity transmission techniques are implemented for both single-carrier and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The second part of the thesis focuses on the pairwise error probability analysis of the proposed and LCP schemes when receivers have imperfect channel state information (CSI). The BER performance of the proposed precoding and interleaver scheme are investigated in OFDM systems with minimum mean square error channel estimators and single-carrier systems with basis expansion model based channel estimators. It is demonstrated that while precoding schemes designed for receivers with perfect CSI yield near-optimum BER performance in the former system, the proposed phase-shift keying based precoding schemes perform well in the latter system. In both cases, the proposed precoding scheme, combined with the novel interleaving technique, outperforms the existing LCP schemes.

Research in wireless communications has been actively carried out in recent years. In order to enable a high data transmission rate, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications has been proposed and commonly adopted. Accurate channel identification and reliable data detection are major challenges in the implementation of a communications system operating over a wireless fading channel. These issues become even more challenging in MIMO systems since there are many more parameters involved in the estimation processes. This thesis, consisting of four major parts, focuses on applying convex optimization to solve design problems in both MIMO channel estimation and data detection. The first part proposes a novel orthogonal affine precoding technique for jointly optimal channel estimation and symbol detection in a general MIMO frequency-selective fading channel. Additionally, the optimal power allocation between the data and training signals is also analytically derived. The proposed technique is shown to perform much better than other affine precoding techniques in terms of detection error probability and computational complexity. The second part is concerned with the MIMO orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The superimposed training technique developed in the first part is applied and extended for MIMO-OFDM systems where all the involved transmitters and receivers are assumed to be uncorrelated. Analytical and numerical results confirm that the proposed design can efficiently identify the unknown wireless channel as well as effectively recover the data symbols, while conserving the transmission bandwidth. The third part considers training and precoding designs for OFDM under colored noise environment. The superiority of the proposed design over the previously-known design under colored noise is thoroughly demonstrated. The last part of the thesis develops the orthogonal affine precoder for spatially correlated MIMO-OFDM systems. The optimal superimposed training sequences are solved by tractable semi-definite programming. To have a better computational efficiency, two approximate design techniques are also presented. Furthermore, the non-redundancy precoder proposed in the third part is employed to combat channel correlation. As a result, the proposed designs are demonstrated to outperform other known designs in terms of channel estimation and data detection.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.51-53).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Gordon L. Stuber; Committee Member: Alfred D. Andrew; Committee Member: John A. Buck; Committee Member: Steven W. McLaughlin; Committee Member: Ye (Geoffrey) Li.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 189-204.